Coin-controlled lock.



P. W. KASSLER.

GOIN CONTROLLED LUCK.

APPLICATION FILED JULY s, 1907.

Patented Oct. 27, 1908.

2 SHEETS-SHEET L W/TNESSES u m6155531 NMIS/M A TTOHNEYS P. W. KASSLER.

COIN ONTROLLED LOCK.

APPLIUATION ULEB JULY a. 1907.

Patented OCE. 27, 1908. z sums-SHEET z.

A TTORNE YS 'UNITED sTAT ns PATENT OFFICE.

FREDRICK WILLIAM KASSLER, OF ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF TO ISIDOR WAGNER, OF ST. LOUIS. MISSOURI.

COIN-CONTRO'LLED LOCK.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Oct. 27, 1908.

Application led July B, 1907. Serial No. 382,581.

To all whom 'it may concern:

Be it known that 1, Fnimmoli WILLIAM KAssLEn, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of St. Louis, in the State of Missouri, have invented a new and Improved Coin-Controlled Lock, Yof which the following isa full, clear, and exact description.

My invention relates to coin-controlled locks, my more particular object being to produce a type of lock possessing certain advantages of construction and operation, and especially suitable for use in'connection wlth a publie telephone booth.

Reference is to had to the accompanying drawings fol-min a part of this specification, in which similar characters of reference indicate corresponding parts in all the fig u-res.

Figure 1 is a` front elevation of my lock and its accompanying parts as seen from the exterior of a telephone booth; Fig. 2 is a section upon the lme 2-2 of Fig. 3, looking in the direction of the arrow, and showing the two revoluble stems for manipulating the lock under different conditions from ditierent sides of the door, and also showing the relative arrangement of various arms o erated directly or indirectly from the revo uble stems, thls view further showing the general arrangement of various parts and a removable closure plate for permitting access to the lock when the mechanism of'the latter is outof order; F ig. is an elevation showing the mechanism of the lock as viewed from the side thereof representing the inside of the booth, the inner plateof the lock beingr removed, and one ot the stems being shown in section, this view showing the parts occupying their respective normal posisions, the door being locked; Fig. i is a view substantially similar to Fig. 3, the parts occupyingl their respective iositions assumed when the door is unlocke(` Fig. 5 is a fragmentary sectioi showing the arrangenientof the main bolt and means whereby this bolt is controlled by aid ot' a Coin; Fig. is a substantially' vertical section on the line (3.-6 of Fig. 1 throuvh a keeper forming a part, of my improved Iock, the keeper bring. so arranged that the door may be opened imlelwmiently of the condition of other parts of the lock. Fig. 7 is a fragmentary section through the keeper and shows how the key fits upon the various tumblcrs; and Fig. 8 is a perspective of they main bolt which is provided with a slot in which a coin may be temporarily housed.

At 9 is a fragmentary representation of the door of a telephone booth. l The lock casing is shown at l0 and is provided with a horizontal portion 10% A removable closure plate i1 is provided at its bottom with lugs 12 which pass throu h the thickened portions l13 in the casing 0. This closure t late is further provided at its top with a ook 14 having a bolt 15. The latter engages a lug 16 and normally prevents the removal of the closure plate 11 from the casing.` By aid of a key inserted through a fitting 17, however, the bolt l5 may be withdrawn Within the lock 14. The closure plate 11 thenmay be taken out for the purpose of enabling a properly authorized person to open the casing in order to remove any'coins de osited therein.

he main bolt is shown at 18, and has oppositely disposedbevels 18EL and 18". It is provided upon its upper surface with a toothed rack 19 havin a lug 2U integral therewith. A pawl 21 avin'g substantially an arcuate form is pivotally mounted upon the casing in the nei hborhood of the rack 19, said pawl being ouble-ended as shown.V A leaf-spring 22 is connected with the upper portion of the casing and depends into close proximity with the pawl 21. Thisleafspring co-acts with the pawl and serves to hold the latter in an approxiniatel determinate position. Whenever the'bo t 18, .and consequently the rack 19, move tothe left, according to Figs. 3 ana 4,. the pawl 21 successively en ages the teeth of the. rack and linally the ug 2O causes the pawl to rock so that its outer end passes below the lower end of the' leaf-spring 22. The pawl remains in this position until, by a movement of the Abolt 18 in the opposite direction, the lug 20 passes to the right and causes the pawl to rock to the left or in a contraclockwise direction, according to Figs. 3 and 4. IfVhen this engagement occurs between the lug() and the pawl, the rack19 is moved so far to the right that the inner end of the pawl is unable to lock into any of the teeth, except the end tooth at the extreme left, as shown in Fig. 3. By this arrangement, whenever the lug 20 has made itsextreme movement to the` left accordingto the view'shown in Figs. 3 and 4 andthe pa `l has correspondingly been changed in its position, owmg to its engagement with the lug 20, the paWl cannot prevent the return of the main bolt 1S to the right. On the other hand, however, if the main bolt 18 has only made a partial movement toward the left so that the paw] engages in the teeth of the rack 19, the main bolt cannot be shifted to the right until the stroke of the main bolt is completed to the lelt or the pawl dislodged by sc me other means than the lug 20. A plate 23 extends upwardly ,upon one ed e of the main bolt 18 and serves as a sli eway for said bolt.

A lug 24 is cast inte ral withy thecasing 10, and is provided Witi a half-round projection 24al serving as a'limitin f sto for one of the movable parts hereina ter escribed,

At 25 is shown a coin Which may be used for operatinpT the coin-controlled mechanism. The casing" is provided with a slot 10 through which this coin may be inserted by i hand. The main bolt 18 is provided with a slot 26 for receiving the coin when the latter drops down into such position as to rest upon the upper surfaceof the lug 24 (see Fig. 5). A baille plate 27 is connected rigidly with the casing. A coin chute 28 is provided With a projectln-g,r portion 29 serving as a measuringV passage for defective coins. This projection 2 9 extends outwardly from the coin chute at an angle. The coin chute is pivotally mounted upon a` screw 28;l in order that it Amay be tensioned, and is normally held in a predetermined `position by a spring 30 for thls purpose. The coin chute is thus adapted to 4be swung upon the pivot 28El whenever occasion requires, as, for instance, when the operator opens the casing for the pur ose of dislodging a coin of improper size rom the coin chute. A pin 31 serves as a limitingstop for the coin chute, and normally the sprlng 30 causes the coin chute to exert a slight pressure 'upon this pin. If a coin of proper size be inserted, it will slide down the chute, encounter the projection 29, and turn into a dili'ereut plane (see Fig. 5

A s iral spring 32 is connected W1th the main olt 18 which is provided with an ear 33 for this prrpose. The o posite end of this spiral spring engages a bracket-34. A lug 35, cast: upon the internal surface of the casing, serves as a liuiiting-stop for preventing excessive movement of the main bolt 18.

An arm 36 is loosely mounted upon a rocking stem 37and is provided with a lug 3G extending laterally from the arm, as indicated in Fig. 2. The upper end of the arm 3G carries a pin 38 which projects into a slot 39 in the downwar'dly-projecting portion 40 of a slide 41. The slide 4-1 normally octupies such position that coins may be inserted' l through the coin slot, but -whenever the arm is moved .into tlle iositlo indicated in Fig. 4 the alla@ 1in is; creed te the left and thus closes the @ein elet se as te @relatie the entrance of coins thereinto. "lhc slide 41 is mounted within a slideway 42.

A leaf-spring 43 is provided upon ils inner surface with a bevel or hook 43a, these parts together serving `as a spring latch and being adapted to engage thc arm BG so as to hold the same in its cxtreme position to the left, according to Fig. LIt. `Whcn thc arm 36 is moved into the position indicated in thisl ligure. the latch automatically secures it and holds it until released, as hereinafter dcscribed.

A rockiniP stem 44 is provided with a button 45 servinplr as a knob. This stem is in alinement, with the stem 3T. Secured rigid ly upon the stem 37 and extending upwardly therefrom is an arm 4G. This arm is connected with a spring 47 and drawn thereby to the right, according lo Figs. 3 and f1. The arm 4G carries a` lug 4S integral therewith and projecting' laterally therefrom partially into the path of the latch. The idea is that when the arm 46 is rocked to the left, according to Fig. 4t. the lug 48 may engage the bevel or hook 43 of the latch, thereby pressing the latch outward and disengaging it from the arm 3G. The lug 48 serves another purpose, to wit: It engages the arm 36 and `forces the latter to the left or into the position indicated in Fig. 4. It follows, therefore, that the arm 46 is used both in carrying the arm 3G to the left and in releasin this arm from its extreme position to the A lug 49 integral with a` panel 49 serres as a. limiting stop for an arm 50. A spring 51 tensions this arm and normally holds it in engagement with the lug- L19, as will be understood from Fig. f1. A plate 52 entirely disconnected from the casingl 10 is mounted at a point adjacent thereto, as will be understood from Fig. 1.

A box 53 is mounted upon a pivot 54 and adapted to swing' relatively to the plate .32. The upper end of the box 53 is comparatively thin and passes beneath a lup,- 55. lilounlcd upon the'thin upper portion of the box is a sleeve 5G provided with a slot 5T. A key detachable from all other parts, is provided with a boss 59 adapted to loosely cuter the slot 57. A fitting' G0 provided with a number of tumblers (5i connected by a pin (S3 and held in position b r springs 62. The key 58 is adapted to lit upon the lumblcrs (il so as to press the same out to the right, according to ll'lg. (l. lVhenever the key 5S is inserted und the tmnhlers depressed accordingly, the box 53 may be swung upon the pivot 54, the key being pressed so hard as to prevent the bodily movement ot the key relatively to the plate. A person having a hey may therefore secure entrance toy the booth independently or the condition of the lock.. A button 64 is mounted rigidly u on the stem 37 and is used for tnalilpulat ng the lock from the inside 'of .the bootln The operation of my lock is as follows: Suppose the parts to be in their normal positions, as indicated in Fig. 3. A person comes along and passes a coin 25 throughthe coin slot 10. I the coin is too small 1t will 'pass through the opening in the coin chute 29; if too large, it will not enter the slot. Assuming the coin to be a proper one, it glides downwardly and is baiied to the left and to the right, according to Fig. 5, by the members 29 and 27, finally lodging upon the lug 24 and standing upon its edge, projecting partially upward throu h the slot 26. The person next grasps the utton 45 and turns it'to his right-that is in a so-called clockwise direction.

The arm 50 being rigid upon the stenl 44 now presses a ainst the coin, and the latter being within t 1e slot 26 causes the bolt 1810 be drawn into the casing, to such an extent that the pawl 21 clicks over the teeth of the rack 19 and stops against the last tooth of the series, as indicated in Flgl. 4. TheV lateral movement of the coin un er pressure of the arm 50, causes the coin to press against'the lug 36* and thus moves the arm 36 from its position indicated in Fig. 3 to its extreme left, as indicated in Fi This movement of the arm 36 draws. tliv slide 41 to the left and thus closes the coin slot 10. reaching its extreme cording to Fig.

the spring latch consisting of spring 43 and hook 43a. The person desiring to enter the booth now opens the door and walks in. If, while this person is inside, another person should attempt to drop a coin into the coin slot, he would find it im )ossible, owing to the temporary closure ot the slot by the slide 41. The arm 36 having been secured by the latch, relaxation of thc button 45 or knob removes the pressure upon the coin and the latter thus drops into the bottoni of the casing, the various movable parts of the mechanism, however, remaining for the time being, in their respective positions. The person inside ,the booth, after finishing conversation over thetelephone, may now desire to leave the booth. Ile gras )s the handle (i4 (which extends inside the liooth) and turns it toward his left, or in a contracloclwise direction. In doing this he causes the arm 46 to rockto the left. This brings the lug 48 agninstthe bevel or hook 43 and relenses the same from engagement with the arm 36. The latter, under impulse of the spring 44. now moves to the right, according to Figs. 3 and 4. In doin?r this the siide-'4l is restored to its norma position, (hns leaving the slot 10il uncovered and ready i'or he deposit oi.' another coin. The saine movement of the arm 46 causes it to slide the main bolt 18 to th left, thus enabling the person inside to .ipcn the door. The movement of the main bolt to the leftheing g The arm 36 upon position to the left, ac-

4, is secured temporarily by y continued, the lug 20 tilts the pawl 2l in a clockwise direction, according to Figs. 3 and 4, thus lfreeing it from the rack 19. The leaf-spring 22 now prevents movement of the pawl into any lposition which willl prevent the outward thrust of the main bolt 18. It will thus be seen that when a person is using the booth, it is impossible for any other person to lock him in or to interfere with him by depositing a coin or in any other way. It will also be noted thathas the bolt 18 has two bevels 18, l8b, it must in any case recede within theA lock Whenever the door of the booth is opened or closed, and whenever the bolt thus recedes, it will release a coin if one be held in the lock. No matter, therefore, whether or not the o erator Works the knob or knobs properly W len opening the door, the coin 1s always dislod ed after eveiy operation.

aving thus escribed my invention, I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patentt l. In a lock, lthe combination of a 'coin chute, a main bolt provided with a slot for receiving a coin from said coin chute, an arm controllable by pressure of said coin when held within said slot, and means con-l nected with said arm for preventing the entry of other coins into said coin chute while said bolt occupies a predetermined position.

2. In a coin-controlled lock, the combinationof'a coin slot throu h which, coins ma be drop ed into the macEine, a movable bo t provide with a portion for engaging said coins one at a time, means for closing `said coin chute so as to prevent the entryof coins thereinto, and an arm connected with said means for actuating the same, said arm being proyided with a lug projecting into the path of a coin engaging said bolt so as to turn said arm when said bolt is moved in a predetermined position.

3. The combination of a casing, a bolt slid'able in relation thereto, an arm for actuating said bolt, a rocking stem connected with said arin for turning the saine, a second arm mounted upon said stein, said second arm being loose relatively to said stem, a latch for holding said last-mentioned arm in. a predetermined position, and means connected with said irstoneutioned arm for releasing said second-mentioned arm, a coin chute, and a slide connected with said sccond-mentioned arm for opening and closing said coin chute.

In testimony whereof I have signed my i name to this specification in the. presence of two subscribing witnesses.

liltlllllilcl( WILLIAM KASSlilllt.

Witnesses A lsinun WAoNnn, lem'. Mouais. 

